Hanging Out
by kelbebop-phoebenpiper
Summary: After the baseball game, Ryan finds himself welcomed by a new group of friends.  Immediately follows our story, Wildest Dreams.  ChadRyan.


**Hanging Out**

Pulling up the driveway, Ryan breathed a sigh of relief that Sharpay's pink convertible was nowhere to be seen. She was the LAST person he wanted to see tonight -- in fact, she was the last person he wanted to see for quite awhile after the way she'd treated him that afternoon. Also, he wanted his participation in the talent show to be a secret for as long as possible -- Shar was likely to sabotage things if she knew that he'd be competing against her.

Ryan was also happy to see his dad's car in the driveway. While he was eager to tell his mom all about his sudden change of fortune, he also wanted his dad to see him in this outfit! He couldn't believe that Chad hadn't asked to switch back clothes yet -- perhaps Chad was enjoying wearing a shirt that wasn't purchased at Wal-Mart for a change.

Parking his yellow car behind his mom's, Ryan got out and hurried inside the front door, colliding with his mom in the entryway.

"Ducky!" his mom greeted him warmly, putting her hands on her son's shoulders to steady herself following the collision. Then, noticing Ryan's outfit, she smiled, asking, "What are you wearing?

Before Ryan could answer, his dad walked into the hallway. "I thought I heard a commotion out here," he teased. Then, taking in his son's outfit -- or, to be more precise, CHAD's outfit -- a broad smile crossed Mr. Evans's face. "You been playing baseball, son?"

Ryan nodded, smiling smugly and puffing his chest out with pride. "Got to pitch against the employees."

"That's my boy!" Mr. Evans said, patting his son on the back whilst his mom kissed him on the cheek, whispering, "I'm so proud of you!"

Mr. Evans continued, "So, did you win?"

Ryan's smile wavered a little as he shrugged and shook his head. "Chad Danforth slid into home in the last play."

"Well, Chad's a great athlete, son," Mr. Evans said, giving Ryan a conciliatory pat on the arm. "No need to be ashamed of losing to him." Then, stepping away, he added, "I'm heading to the kitchen for some ice cream -- can I get you two anything?"

Mrs. Evans quickly answered, "We'll be there in a minute, hon."

As soon as he'd disappeared and she was alone with her son, Mrs. Evans put her arm around Ryan's shoulders and led him into the dining room. "Tell me all about it, Ducky."

She pulled out a chair and motioned for him to sit, then quickly stepped around the table to sit opposite, resting her elbows on the table and leaning forward to let him know he had her full attention.

Ryan shrugged. "There's not much to tell, Mom," he said, reflecting back on the final moments of the game. "I lost."

"Sweetheart," she said as she took his hand across the table, lacing her fingers in his, "you know very well I don't mean your RBI's or your strikeouts. While I am absolutely delighted that my little all-star has made a triumphant return to the mound," she gave his hand a little squeeze at this, "I feel like I'm missing an important part of the story."

Ryan couldn't contain a grin. "Well, Gabriella Montez invited me to the employee baseball game. Since I didn't have a rehearsal to attend," he rolled his eyes as he remembered Sharpay's rude dismissal, "I accepted."

Ryan chewed his lower lip, waiting for the inevitable questions about why he didn't have rehearsals, but his mother only smiled warmly and nodded, encouraging him to continue.

"When we got to the diamond, I wasn't exactly welcomed with open arms by the team," Ryan said glumly, but then a smile started to warm his face when he remembered what came next. "But then Gabriella invited ME to direct the employee entry in the talent show! Can you believe it?!"

"Oh sweetie, that's wonderful!" Mrs. Evans said, reaching across the table and taking his other hand. "So what are you going to do for the show?"

Ryan shrugged. "I really don't know yet. Most of the boys are a little freaked out about the idea of dancing. I tried to explain that baseball and dancing are really the same thing in terms of how you move," Ryan said, pleased at how persuasive he'd been. "I guess I played well enough to convince them because after the game Chad said he'd do the show. And since he's kind of a leader, I think the other boys will follow, too."

Mrs. Evans flashed a knowing smile at her son. "So...what's this Chad boy like?"

"Mom!" Ryan blushed beet red as he rolled his eyes, embarrassed to be put on the spot. But his mother just squeezed his hands again, encouraging him to spill.

As he started to think about Chad, a shy grin spread across Ryan's face. "He's really cute, Mom," he blurted out. "And he and I just...connected during the game. I don't know how else to describe it. I mean, we were competing, but it was more than that. More...personal somehow. More intense." Ryan smiled, reflecting on the game, before he went on. "And the way he moves? I think I can turn him into a really incredible dancer."

Mrs. Evans grinned conspiratorially at her son. "And is that HIS shirt that you're wearing?"

Ryan nodded, his eyes gleaming as he glanced down at Chad's red baseball jersey. "My shirt got dirty," he said, feigning innocence.

His mother shook her head, grinning. "Well, I'm glad you had such a great day, Ducky." But then she looked at her son meaningfully as her voice turned serious. "But I don't want you to get your hopes up, okay? I mean, this Chad sounds like a great boy, but there's a very good chance that--"

"I know, Mom," Ryan interrupted her before she could finish. He didn't want her to say it out loud, as if speaking the words would make them come true. Of course, she was probably right -- Chad would probably never be interested in him that way. But as long as he didn't know for sure, there was still a faint glimmer of hope. "I know," he sighed.

Without a word, Mrs. Evans stood and walked around the table, putting her arm around her seated son's shoulder. Ryan turned and hugged his mom around her waist, leaning his head against her stomach. He didn't even care that his -- correction, Chad's -- hat got knocked to the floor in the process. He just held his mother for a long moment, taking comfort.

"Mom?" Ryan finally asked meekly, running a hand through his mussed blond hair. "Could you do me a teensy, tiny favor?"

Mrs. Evans bent to retrieve the hat and replaced it on her son's head at a jaunty angle, just the way he liked it. "Yes, dear?"

"Could you please not tell Sharpay about me helping with the talent show?" he pleaded.

"You are, of course, planning to talk to her about it eventually?"

"It's...complicated, Mom. She's so busy grooming Troy into her new...partner...boyfriend...whatever...that she doesn't even notice what's going on with anyone else. But I know that if she found out, she'd freak."

Mrs. Evans remembered her daughter's tantrum in the Lava Springs yoga studio and nodded. "To say the least."

"I promise I will talk to her, Mom. But not yet. I just need this chance to strike out on my own. Without Sharpay."

"It'll be our secret," she said, pulling an invisible zipper across her lips.

"Thanks, Mom," Ryan exhaled a sigh of relief.

"Are you hungry?" she asked. "There's a pint of Chunky Monkey in the freezer with your name on it," she deliberately raised her voice, "if your father hasn't already decimated it!"

"I resemble that remark!" Mr. Evans called back from the kitchen.

Ryan smiled a little hesitantly. "Actually, Mom...Gabriella invited some of us over to her house to hang out this evening. Would it be all right if I...?"

"A girl asked you over to hang out?" Mr. Evans asked excitedly, having caught the end of their conversation. He entered the room carrying a carton of ice cream with three spoons sticking out of it. "Then what are you doing here, son? You should be hanging out with your friends, not staying here at home with a couple of fuddy-duddies like us."

Ryan looked at his mom, his eyebrows raised questioningly. She immediately nodded, smiling. "Of course you should go," she said encouragingly. Then, giving her son a knowing look, she asked, "Will...the whole team be there?"

Ryan blushed, knowing what his mom was asking. "I'm not sure. I think it's just gonna be a small group of us. Gabriella, of course. And probably Taylor. Maybe Kelsi. And Chad." Mrs. Evans nodded knowingly at this last name, and Ryan grinned back at her, his face turning even redder. Then, remembering his dad was in the room, he added, "Uh...I'm not sure who else," as an after-thought.

But Mr. Evans didn't seem to notice the unspoken conversation going on between his wife and his son. "That sounds great, son. But don't stay out TOO late -- my morning golf game got canceled tomorrow, so I thought maybe you and I could go out and throw a couple baseballs around. What do you say?"

Ryan smiled proudly at his dad. "Sounds great," he said, taking the spoon his dad offered and scooping out a huge hunk of ice cream from the carton.

Mrs. Evans took the spoon back from him as soon as the ice cream was in his mouth. "You better hurry, dear," she said, putting her arm around her son's shoulders and leading him to the door. "You don't want to be missing all the fun." Then she leaned over and whispered in his ear, "And later I want to hear all the details."

"Yeah, you have fun!" Mr. Evans called back to Ryan as he headed back to the kitchen.

Ryan turned in the opened doorway and kissed his mom on the forehead. "Love ya, Mom."

"Love you, too, Ducky," Mrs. Evans said, patting him lovingly on the arm before shutting the door behind him.

------

Ryan set the alarm on his car and then started walking back towards the address Gabriella had given him. There were so many cars on the street, Ryan had had to park several blocks away. But it was a beautiful summer evening, still light out but having cooled down since the heat of the afternoon, so it was a pleasant walk back along the tree-lined streets to her house.

But Ryan wasn't exactly paying attention to the weather or the streets. In fact, his mind seemed to be in overdrive.

This was the first time he'd been over to a fellow student's house since high school began. He was usually too busy rehearsing with Sharpay or hanging out at Lava Springs to do anything else. There were cast parties, of course, but they were ALWAYS held at the Evanses, even the one for Twinkle Towne (his mom had insisted on it as a gesture of good sportsmanship).

And Ryan wasn't invited to other parties.

He liked to blame Sharpay for his lack of a social life -- most of East High didn't get along with his temperamental sister, and he justified that they couldn't just invite her twin brother to a party without inviting her.

But he knew that that wasn't the REAL reason why he wasn't invited. He wasn't exactly Mr. Popularity himself.

So why had Gabriella invited him, he wondered.

Glancing at the street numbers, Ryan pulled the slip of paper out of his pocket and checked it. Yep, this was the place.

The Montez home was small, but welcoming. Warm light and the sounds of conversation and laughter radiated from the open windows. Ryan tentatively headed up the front walk. Stopping mere steps from the door, Ryan closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and willed his stomach to quit turning nervous somersaults. After a few deep inhales and exhales, he opened his eyes and pushed the doorbell. His face was a mask of cool (but not TOO cool!) composure and complete calm. After all, he was nothing if not a good actor!

Gabriella smiled brightly as she opened the door. "Ryan! We were starting to wonder if you got lost," she giggled. "Please, come in!"

As Gabriella took Ryan's hand to lead him into the house, he started to wonder if he had taken a fastball to the head this afternoon and was dreaming all this. Like Dorothy or Alice, dreaming of a fantasy world. And when Gabriella brought him into the living room and he was greeted warmly by a trio of Wildcat jocks, he KNEW that had to be the only explanation.

"It's about time you got here, man," Zeke said from his seat on the arm of the couch.

"Yeah, we thought maybe you'd been trapped by the Ice Princess when you went home," Chad teased from the couch, and everyone laughed.

Ryan smiled at Chad's nickname for his sister and was about to joke back when he noticed something -- Chad was no longer wearing his shirt! Instead, he was now wearing a bright red shirt with the words "NOTHING BUT TROUBLE" printed across the front.

Ryan was disappointed, but he wasn't quite sure why. He'd known that swapping shirts had probably meant more to him than it had to Chad, but now here was proof. Ryan looked down uncomfortably at Chad's baseball shirt that he was still wearing and suddenly felt very exposed, as if everyone at the party would guess the REAL reason why he was still wearing it when clearly Chad had changed.

The Wildcats were all staring at him now, and Ryan felt that he should say something. So he nodded at Chad and said awkwardly, "Nice shirt."

Chad grinned as the other boys took the opportunity to turn and read his new shirt.

"'Nothing but trouble' is RIGHT," Zeke teased, elbowing Chad. Without thinking, Chad shoved him back, causing Zeke to fall off the arm of the couch, which made Jason laugh.

Ducking as Zeke lunged at him for a counter-attack, Chad called out to Ryan. "Oh hey, don't worry, Evans -- my mom thinks she can get those stains on your shirt out."

"Yeah," Jason said. "Being a mother of three athletes, Mrs. Danforth is practically a laundry GOD."

"GodDESS," Ryan corrected clumsily, trying hard to fit in with the three rowdy boys, who were now wrestling playfully on the couch. Clearly he wasn't succeeding very well, but he didn't even seem to notice. Instead, his mind was elsewhere, thinking about Chad asking his mom to clean the shirt. That had to mean something, didn't it? If Ryan's shirt meant nothing to Chad, he would've just tossed it back sometime, maybe even tonight at the party. But the fact that he'd been willing to go to the trouble of asking his own mother to clean it, surely...

These hopeful thoughts came to a halt as Ryan heard his mom's words echoing back in his head. "I don't want you to get your hopes up," she'd said, having his best interests at heart. He knew she was probably right, but he couldn't help but hope.

And he also couldn't WAIT to tell his mom all about it.

The boys had lost interest in their impromptu wrestling match and now they were sprawled on the couch discussing something that Fulton had done that day. Ryan just stood there, his hands in his pockets, rocking uncomfortably forward and back on his toes, desperately wanting to join in but not knowing what to say.

Luckily, Gabriella came over to rescue him. "Having fun?" she asked, putting a friendly hand on his arm.

"Yeah," he smiled at her, "thanks for inviting me, Gabriella."

She laughed, "Of course! You're one of us now, right?"

'Am I?' Ryan thought.

Gabriella frowned for a split second, as if sensing his discomfort. Then she smiled brightly and said, "C'mon, Wildcat, let's get you a brownie before the beasts descend on the kitchen."

Taking Ryan's hand, Gabriella led him to the kitchen, where Taylor was helping Mrs. Montez pull a large tray of brownies from the oven. The tantalizing aroma of warm chocolate hung in the air.

"Mmmm," Taylor moaned appreciatively as she licked batter from her fingertips. "I'm telling you, Mrs. Montez, if we can get your brownie recipe for the Math Club bake sale, we'll make so much money that we'll be able to fly the entire club and all our families out to D.C. for the National Scholastic Decathlon this year!"

"If we even MAKE it to the National Scholastic Decathlon this year," Gabriella added.

Taylor chuckled. "Oh doubting Gabriella! Oh ye of little faith." She did a double-take when she realized Gabriella had brought someone into the kitchen with her. "Oh! Hi Ryan! Glad you finally made it. We thought maybe you got lost," she teased.

"So I hear," Ryan grinned.

"Mama, you remember Ryan Evans?" Gabriella, ever the good hostess, introduced him to her mother.

Mrs. Montez smiled. "Of course, from the cast party last winter. Nice to see you again, Ryan." She wiped her hand on a tea towel and offered it to Ryan to shake.

"Thank you for having me, Mrs. Montez," he said politely, kissing the proffered hand.

Mrs. Montez smiled, pleasantly surprised. "Such manners!"

Ryan smiled suavely. "'Manners maketh the man,'" he quoted.

Mrs. Montez nodded. "Well, I can see why they all like you so much."

Ryan blushed at the compliment, suddenly feeling out-of-place again. He wondered if Mrs. Montez really meant what she'd said or if she was just being polite. Not knowing which it was, he wasn't sure how to respond.

Luckily, he didn't have to.

"Ryan's dancing is even more impressive than his manners, Mom," Gabriella said. "And he has a beautiful singing voice, too."

"Yes, Gabriella tells me that you're going to direct everyone in the summer talent show."

Ryan nodded, suddenly realizing the real reason that he'd been asked over tonight. It wasn't just to "hang out" with friends -- Gabriella probably wanted to start working with him right away on the talent show.

And he realized that was actually okay with him. He recognized that he was kind of out of his element here, and he'd probably feel more in his "comfort zone" if he was discussing theatre.

Then maybe he wouldn't feel quite so awkward and out-of-place.

But Gabriella quickly dispelled that idea. "We can discuss the talent show tomorrow, Mom. Tonight we're celebrating." And with that, Gabriella grabbed a freshly cut brownie from the plate Taylor had been preparing and handed it to Ryan. "After the game you pitched today, Ryan, you deserve to just relax and enjoy yourself tonight."

Ryan accepted the brownie from Gabriella with a smile and a tip of his hat. "Thank you, m'dear." Whatever doubts he still had about the other Wildcats, he didn't doubt Gabriella's sincerity. Could it be that he was actually making friends with the girl he once snarkily referred to as an "Einstein-ette?"

Ryan took a bite of the warm, gooey treat and realized he finally understood what his yoga instructor was talking about when he went on about "bliss."

"Well, what do you think?" Gabriella asked expectantly.

"I think this is the best brownie I've ever tasted!" Ryan enthused, "Quite possibly the best brownie in the world." He tipped his hat again, this time to Mrs. Montez. "My compliments to the chef!"

"Thank you, Ryan," Mrs. Montez beamed.

"Aren't they great?" Gabriella giggled. "I keep telling Mom she should quit her job and just sell her brownies. She could be the next Mrs. Fields."

"Thank you, sweetie," Mrs. Montez laughed, "but I think I'll leave the baking career to your friend Zeke."

"Speak of the devil," Taylor said as Zeke, Jason, and Chad noisily appeared in the kitchen doorway. "Or devilS," she corrected.

"If by 'devils' you mean starving brownie eaters, then you got that right," Chad joked, making a beeline towards the plate of brownies.

Ryan practically had to jump out of the way not to be run over by the hungry teenagers, who eagerly grabbed brownies and started devouring them.

Gabriella noticed Ryan's startled reaction and laughed, teasing, "Yeah, it's best to stay out of their way when they're hungry."

"Hey," Zeke said in his own defense, his mouth full of brownie, "I'm a growing boy!"

"And apparently YOU are, too," Gabriella said to Ryan, noticing that he'd already finished off his brownie. She laughed and added, "If you want another one, you better take one now, before they're all gone."

Ryan was rather embarrassed that Gabriella had noticed, but he was also thankful for the invitation to take another. He reached towards the plate, bumping hands with Chad as they both grabbed for a brownie.

"Thanks, Mrs. Montez," Zeke and Chad said over their shoulders as they went back into the living room.

"These are great as always, Mrs. Montez," Jason said, grabbing the last two brownies from the plate and following the other two boys back into the living room, leaving only Ryan and the girls in the kitchen. Ryan stared in horror at the plate Taylor still held -- only a few brown crumbs were left as a reminder of the huge stack of brownies that had been there only minutes before.

Taylor saw Ryan's look and nodded. "They're like locusts," she stated matter-of-factly.

"But that's horrible," Ryan said, aghast. "You guys didn't even get any."

Gabriella laughed and patted Ryan on the back. "Don't worry," she said, lifting up a tea towel to reveal a second plate of brownies. "We always save some for ourselves." Gabriella offered the plate to her mother and Taylor, who each took one. She then offered the plate to Ryan.

Ryan waved her off, embarrassed. "I already had two."

"Then have a third," Gabriella said. "You deserve it."

Ryan smiled and quickly grabbed another one, before she changed her mind.

"So," Ryan asked between bites of brownie, "are you expecting anyone else?"

Taylor shook her head. "Fulton snagged Kelsi to play piano for cocktail hour tonight, otherwise she'd be here, too."

"Luckily, she's getting paid for overtime," Gabriella added with a smile.

"What about Troy?" Ryan asked, "I would've expected him to be here."

It was subtle, but Ryan noticed a definite change in the kitchen's atmosphere. Everyone fell silent. Gabriella's smile tightened. Mrs. Montez suddenly decided the mixing bowls had to be washed that very moment. Taylor merely shook her head.

A peal of laughter from the living room finally broke the silence, so Taylor spoke up. "Troy was...busy," she said with just a touch of bitterness in her voice.

Ryan nodded, feeling a little guilty as he realized that Troy's absence was probably the result of his own father's good intentions for Troy's "future." He felt like he had to say something, but the only thing that came to mind was, 'his loss, my gain,' and he was fairly certain that was the least sensitive thing he could possibly say at that moment.

Taylor shrugged and went on. "Oh well. More brownies for us." She took two brownies from the plate, handing one to Gabriella. Both girls took large bites.

"Sorry," Ryan said meekly, sorry he'd even brought it up.

"No worries," Gabriella replied, "It's not your fault. This is just the first time he's missed our weekly Wednesday evening gathering, and we're all a little out of sorts about it."

"You guys get together every week?" Ryan asked, his eyes wide. He had assumed this gathering was strictly in honor of the game, not something that happened regularly.

Taylor laughed. "Sometimes more than once a week!" she said with a wink.

"What do you do?"

Gabriella shrugged. "Sometimes we all sit on the floor and watch DVDs. Sometimes we converge in the kitchen and eat my mom's brownies." She smiled at her mother proudly. "Sometimes we just talk about our day. You know...hang out."

Ryan nodded slowly, trying to understand the concept.

Taylor laughed at his confusion. "Don't you and your friends hang out?"

Ryan merely shrugged -- he didn't want to admit to them that he spent all of his free time either with his sister or his parents. So he instead he just said, "We mainly dance. Or watch musicals. And we sing karaoke a lot, too."

Taylor let out a small gasp and quickly looked over at Gabriella, obviously expecting her to react to Ryan's last statement, though Ryan wasn't quite sure what her reaction was likely to be.

But Gabriella merely smiled, nodding. "Karaoke's a blast -- we should go some time."

"Actually," Ryan said excitedly, "we have an entire karaoke set-up at our house! Wireless mics and everything! You should totally come over sometime and--" He stopped abruptly as he suddenly realized the implications of what he was saying. If Gabriella came over to his house, Sharpay was liable to kill her. Or him!

But the invitation was already out there, and he wasn't sure how to take it back without looking like a total jerk. "Uh...I mean..." he stammered sheepishly.

Luckily Gabriella smiled knowingly. "Maybe another time?" she said diplomatically, and Ryan nodded, breathing a sigh of relief.

Suddenly, a blast of loud static sounded from the living room, startling them all. The girls shared a look and then ran in to see what was happening, and Ryan quickly followed, after snagging one more brownie.

"What are you doing?!" Gabriella shouted, hurrying over to the stereo with Taylor close on her heels.

"Trying to find some tunes," Chad said as Gabriella turned the radio volume down.

"Well, can't you find them at a volume that doesn't wake the dead?" Taylor teased.

Ryan listened as Chad turned quickly from station to station. "Wait," Ryan said, having recognized a snippet of music. "Go back."

Chad shrugged and did as he was told, turning the dial back to the last station.

Everyone listened to the music for a moment, trying to figure out the complicated syncopation.

After only a few seconds, Chad shook his head. "I ain't listening to show tunes," he said, reaching for the tuner again.

But Taylor slapped his hand away. "Leave it!" she ordered. Then, looking over at Ryan, who was unconsciously bopping to the music, she asked, "Who is this?"

"You don't know this?" Ryan asked, incredulous. "This is Louis Prima. A true classic."

"Sounds like something my granddad would listen to," Chad scoffed.

"Well, I like it," Taylor said, frowning at Chad. Turning back to smile at Ryan, she added, "It has a good beat. Easy to dance to."

"It's MADE for dancing," Ryan grinned, demonstrating his point with a hop-step to the syncopated rhythm.

"Uuuuugh!" Chad groaned, as his teammates laughed, "What is this, American Bandstand?" He collapsed into the couch and put his feet up on the coffee table. "I thought we were done with dancing for the day."

Ryan narrowed his eyes and flashed a cocky grin at Chad, feeling a secret thrill at the implied challenge. Then, turning back to Taylor, he confidently grabbed her hand. "C'mon -- let's do this," he said, spinning her around before she could protest.

Taylor was slightly startled, but she laughed, trying to regain her composure and her balance. Ryan raised a questioning eyebrow, and Taylor nodded eagerly, smiling back at him. "Show me."

Ignoring the protestations of the boys, Gabriella quickly pushed the coffee table to the corner of the room and perched on the arm of the couch next to Chad as Ryan dragged Taylor to the center of the room.

"The lindy hop is really easy," Ryan instructed, taking Taylor's other hand. "You've just gotta follow me, okay? You ready?"

Taylor nodded enthusiastically, already bopping to the beat.

Ryan chuckled, "Okay then!" He paused to wait for the appropriate musical cue. "Here we go! 5, 6, 7, 8...hop with me!" He pulled her close to step with him to the beat and then pushed her out again for the next step. With Ryan constantly pushing and pulling her into the proper positions, Taylor was an extremely quick study. Ryan noted with satisfaction that she had a natural sense of rhythm.

Of course, she was mainly doing so well because Ryan was such a strong lead. Dancing his entire life with someone as strong-willed as Sharpay had compelled him to become forceful and aggressive in leading his partner around the dance floor, which was just what an amateur such as Taylor needed in order to make her look like she knew what she was doing.

"You go, girl!" Gabriella cheered from the couch.

"Aaaaand...SWING OUT!" Ryan called out as he twirled Taylor out to open position, where she was already starting to improvise on the basic steps she had learned. Soon she was anticipating his moves well enough that he didn't need to shove her around quite so much. Before he knew it, Ryan was unconsciously singing along to the words he knew so well:

_Papa's in the icebox lookin' for a can of ale_

_Papa's in the icebox lookin' for a can of ale_

_Mama's in the backyard learnin' how to jive an' wail_

Ryan couldn't remember the last time he'd danced like this – just for fun, with no audience and nothing at stake. For the moment, he'd forgotten all about the baseball game AND the talent show. In fact, he'd even forgotten about brushing hands with Chad when reaching for that brownie earlier and the fact that Chad was staring at him now, watching as Ryan twirled his girlfriend around the living room.

It was only at the end of the song, when Taylor's arm knocked the hat off Ryan's head during an attempt at a big finish, that they both broke rhythm, laughing until they were breathless.

Gabriella rushed over, excitedly wrapping her arms around the two of them. "That was incredible!" she gushed.

"It was all Ryan," Taylor beamed, her face flushed from the exertion. Turning to her dance partner, she added, "I have no idea how you got me to do all that."

"It was nothing," Ryan shrugged, trying to sound modest, but his proud smile showed how pleased he was with himself.

"Did I just stumble into 'Dancing with the Stars'?" Mrs. Montez asked, standing in the doorway where she'd been watching the exhibition.

"Didn't I tell you, Mom?" Gabriella bragged, reaching up to muss Ryan's short blond hair.

Ryan grinned. While he hadn't noticed, or cared, about his audience while he danced, it didn't mean he wasn't pleased to have had one. And for the first time all evening, he felt like he was really in his element. He wasn't second-guessing himself or wondering what the others thought of him; instead, he felt confident in who he was and what he could accomplish.

"Yeah, you were really good," Jason enthused.

"But I don't know where you got that energy," Zeke said, lounging on the couch. "We played a hard game of ball this afternoon, and I can barely keep my eyes open, yet you're bopping all over the room."

"Hmmph!" Chad was clearly not impressed. "He's probably just on a sugar high from all those brownies."

Gabriella couldn't help but laugh at the irony of his statement. "You should talk!"

"Yeah," Taylor said, shooting Chad a look as she perched on the other arm of the couch. Raising an eyebrow, she challenged him, "Jealous much?"

Ryan realized that he didn't want to be front and center for their lovers' quarrel, so he took this opportunity to walk over to the stereo, retrieving his hat -- CHAD'S hat -- from the floor where Taylor had accidentally knocked it.

Yet despite this, he was somehow STILL the center of the quarrel.

"Jealous of WHO?" Chad spat back at Taylor, incredulous. "Hatboy?"

Ryan was just placing the red ball cap back on his head when Chad spoke the name, and if it hadn't been for the collective gasp in the room, he would've just assumed Chad was making a reference to it. But their reaction made him realize that the name had more meaning.

Taylor smacked Chad's knee, growling, "Way to go," under her breath.

Gabriella hurried over to Ryan's side, a look of chagrin on her face. "'Hatboy' is just a nickname," she clarified.

"Like 'Ice Princess'," Zeke explained helpfully from the couch.

"Chad has nicknames for all of us," Gabriella continued. "He only means it in fun." It was clear that she was upset and wanted to try to put Ryan's mind at ease.

But her attempts were only making him feel more uncomfortable.

After all, Ryan was FAMOUS at East High for his hats -- it was rare to see him without one. If someone was going to refer to him by a nickname, "Hatboy" seemed an obvious choice.

So why were they reacting this way?

Ryan's dancer's high came crashing down, and he suddenly realized just how tired he was. He had had a LONG day, both physically and emotionally, and he suddenly just wanted to go home.

"Maybe I'd best be--" Ryan began, but Chad interrupted.

"Hey, don't go 'cuz of me, man," Chad said, standing up and walking over to Ryan. "I didn't mean anything by the name -- it's just what I'm used to calling you," he admitted sheepishly. "And," Chad put a hand on Ryan's shoulder and continued in a slightly quieter tone, "I guess you just kinda got my back up, you know?" Chad nodded his head towards Taylor so Ryan would understand what he meant.

From across the room, Taylor understood, too. "I knew you were jealous," she teased, walking over to them. "So, Ryan," Taylor said, looking back and forth between the two boys, "can you teach him to dance like that?"

"Whoa! I don't..." Both boys backed away from each other with their hands up, each mumbling protestations.

Gabriella laughed. "C'mon," she encouraged. "We've got all summer."

Chad said nothing, but after a moment's consideration, he nodded and smiled.

"I've got fresh-squeezed lemonade in the kitchen, if anyone wants any," Mrs. Montez said.

Chad's and Ryan's eyes met, silently acknowledging the competition that still existed between them. And then they were off, racing to see who could get to the kitchen first.

------

Ryan's foot was asleep. The tingling sensation had started in his toes and was slowly making its way up towards his ankle. Ryan longed to jiggle his foot and try to get the circulation flowing again, but he didn't dare move a muscle.

Because if he did, Chad might move away, and that was the last thing Ryan wanted.

So instead, Ryan tried to focus on the movie that was playing on the small TV screen. It definitely wasn't HIS type of movie -- he preferred musical numbers to car chases -- but Chad had seemed so excited about showing it to him that he was doing his best to feign interest. No doubt Chad would expect him to quote back entire scenes later, like he and the other boys were doing now, so Ryan needed to have at least a basic grasp of the plot.

"Oh, this scene is HILARIOUS," Chad said, turning his head slightly so his face was mere inches from Ryan's. "You're gonna LOVE it."

Ryan smiled back at Chad -- he was already loving it.

"He'd love it MORE if you didn't talk through every scene," Taylor teased. Chad gave his girlfriend a playful shove, which somehow shifted the entire balance of the teenage puppy pile, allowing Ryan to quickly shake a little feeling back into his foot.

"What's the point of watching DVD's if you can't talk through them?" Zeke asked, his voice slightly muffled as it emerged from somewhere near the bottom of the pile.

Gabriella and Taylor shared a look as they both shook their heads, laughing, "Boys!"

Ryan marveled at how comfortable everyone seemed at being in such close proximity to each other. While Ryan often shared hugs with his mom or gave backrubs to his sister, he rarely had such close physical contact with others, especially so many people at once. Therefore, he'd been slightly taken aback when everyone had piled onto the couch together to watch the DVD, but it'd happened so suddenly that he hadn't had the chance to complain. And once he realized that Chad was going to be lounging against him for the next 98 minutes, Ryan didn't WANT to complain.

Gabriella, however, had no such qualms. "I gotta move," she said, trying to untangle herself from the knot of arms and legs. "My neck is KILLING me." Finally breaking free, she rolled off the couch onto the floor, apparently landing on Jason's foot.

"Ow!" he yelped, and Gabriella quickly apologized.

"Wait, wait!" Chad said, groping around for the remote. "We gotta go back! We missed the best line!"

Ryan took a short intake of breath as Chad's roaming hand accidentally touched his thigh.

"The remote's here," Taylor said, handing Chad the remote, and Ryan sighed, secretly wishing the search had gone on longer.

As Chad clicked back to the beginning of the chapter, Gabriella scooted over on the floor so that she was sitting cross-legged in front of Taylor, who immediately started rubbing her friend's shoulders.

"Ooh," Jason said suggestively. "Who needs a DVD when we've got some good girl-on-girl action?"

Taylor turned and gave Jason a withering glare as Gabriella shook her head, saying, "I just don't get that."

"Yeah," Taylor said, continuing the shoulder rub undaunted, "what IS the male obsession with lesbians?"

"What's not to like?" Zeke mumbled from beneath the pile.

"Yeah," Chad agreed. "TWO hot girls being sexy sure beats ONE girl any day." He nudged Ryan and winked.

But Gabriella's next comment took Ryan so off-guard that he didn't even have time to react.

"I see your point," Gabriella said thoughtfully. "Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal are SO much sexier together."

Ryan had to stifle a laugh.

But the other guys in the room were having a different reaction. "Ew!"

Taylor leaned forward as she continued to rub Gabriella's shoulders, saying to her friend, "You are so right -- they're like EXPONENTIALLY sexier!" She glanced back at Chad meaningfully.

"No!" Chad interjected quickly. "We are NOT watching _Brokeback Mountain_ again!"

"Yeah," Zeke mumbled, "once was enough."

Ryan sat quietly, not knowing how to react. He was pleasantly surprised that the boys had been open-minded enough to sit through the movie once, but he was dismayed by their negative reaction to it. Would they react the same way towards him if they knew the truth?

"I agree," Jason said. "That movie definitely could've used a few more car chases and explosions."

"Speaking of...," Gabriella said, gesturing towards the TV screen where two cars were in hot pursuit.

"Dammit," Chad said, once more fumbling for the remote. "We missed the best line AGAIN." As he clicked back to the beginning of the chapter for the second time, Chad demanded, "Now everyone needs to shut up so Ryan can hear this." Then, reaching over and squeezing Ryan's knee, Chad told his new friend, "You're SO gonna love this."

How could he NOT enjoy it, with Chad's hand on his knee?

------

By the time Ryan got home, he was exhausted but content. Despite a rocky start, he'd ended up having a fun time at Gabriella's, and by the end of the evening he'd truly felt like one of the Wildcats. And being pressed against Chad for an entire movie had almost been a dream come true.

Ryan yawned as he opened the front door, looking forward to crawling into bed. But a part of him secretly wished that his mom was still awake because he was dying to tell her about everything that had happened.

Locking the door behind him, Ryan turned and noticed that the kitchen light was on. His heart skipped a beat as he realized his mom had waited up for him just like he'd hoped.

Rushing into the kitchen, he greeted cheerily, "Hi…Mom...?" He trailed off as he realized it was not Mrs. Evans but MISS Evans who was leaning against the counter as she polished off a pint of ice cream.

"It's about time you got home," Sharpay said, her mouth full. She placed the empty Chunky Monkey container on the counter, not even bothering to toss her spoon in the sink. "Where have you been, Ry? I've been waiting for you for AGES."

Ryan didn't answer immediately because he was still trying to get his tired mind to sort everything out.

First of all, he was terribly disappointed that he was not going to get to talk to his mom about his evening like he'd wanted to.

Secondly, seeing Sharpay reminded him that he was still upset with his sister over the way she'd treated him.

To add insult to injury, Ryan noticed a note taped to the refrigerator where his mother had written, "Ducky, we saved you some ice cream -- enjoy."

But Sharpay was staring at him, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for his reply, so he lamely answered, "I was…out."

Luckily, Sharpay hadn't really expected a detailed answer, and she immediately launched into what she'd obviously been waiting to discuss with him. "Well, things are totally coming along great for the talent show. Kelsi's song sounds SO much better at a faster tempo -- you'll barely recognize it. It's no longer sappy and stupid but actually has some real pizzazz. And I got Marcos to run pyro for us again -- of course, he totally burned his eyebrows off, just like last year, but I'm sure he'll get it worked out before the show. And I was--"

Ryan realized that his only chance for escape was to interrupt. "Shar, I'm really tired. Maybe we can discuss this tomorrow." Though he wasn't really sure why she wanted to discuss it at all. Hadn't she unceremoniously kicked him OUT of the show earlier today? So why was she still saying "us" and talking as if he were a part of her huge extravaganza?

Sharpay's face fell, but she quickly covered up her disappointment with annoyance. "I wanted to discuss it TONIGHT, Ryan. That's why I waited up for you."

Ryan shrugged. "Maybe you shouldn't have," he said, his own bitterness and annoyance showing through.

Sharpay sighed huffily as Ryan turned to leave.

"Oh good, you're both home safely." The groggy voice from the far entrance to the kitchen made Ryan stop in his tracks.

'Yes!' Ryan thought to himself, suddenly wide awake.

"We didn't wake you, did we, Mommy?" Sharpay asked, her voice the very essence of innocence.

"No," Mrs. Evans lied, yawning and rubbing her eyes. Then, seeing the empty carton of ice cream on the counter, she turned to Ryan and smiled. "I see you got my note."

Ryan observed that at least Sharpay had the decency to look guilty.

"Nah, I let Sharpay have it," Ryan said, shooting his sister a look that he hoped clearly communicated 'you owe me a carton of Chunky Monkey, you greedy little diva.'

Sharpay either didn't notice or didn't care, for she carried on unphased. "I was just telling Ry all about how the preparations for the talent show are coming along. And guess what, Mother?" Sharpay could barely contain her excitement as she waited for Mrs. Evans to give her an encouraging smile. "Troy Bolton is going to sing with me! Isn't that exciting?!"

"Oh darling, that's wonderful," Mrs. Evans said. "I know how much you like him."

"Well, what's not to like?" Sharpay asked. "We're perfect for each other. And our show is going to be SO good. We're planning..."

As Sharpay started rambling giddily about her preparations for the show, Mrs. Evans shot her son an enquiring look. Ryan merely shook his head, letting her know that he'd explain everything later. Earlier, he'd told her all about working with the Wildcats on the show, but he hadn't really gone into detail about why he wasn't working with Sharpay.

Not that anyone ever really worked WITH Sharpay -- instead, everyone seemed to work FOR her.

Or at least that's what SHE seemed to think.

"...and I made Kelsi fix this song she wrote called 'You Are the Music in Me', which I think is gonna be GREAT, despite the cliched lyrics. And Emma, Jacky, and Lea are all gonna sing back-up," Sharpay turned around towards Ryan so quickly that he jumped back, startled, "which is what I need your help for, Ryan, since you're always so good at coming up with choreography that doesn't upstage me."

Ryan merely stared into the face of his smiling twin, not sure whether her statement had actually been a compliment. And how typical, he thought with irritation, that his sister would just assume that he would help her after she'd kicked him out of the show.

Luckily, Mrs. Evans spoke up before Ryan could respond. "Well, it's much too late to be doing choreography of any sort tonight. We should all get to bed, and you two can finish this discussion in the morning."

Ryan smiled thankfully at his mother, glad that she was putting an end to it now and secretly hoping that Sharpay would forget all about it overnight.

Sharpay wasn't giving up that easily. "But Mom, we need to work on this tonight."

Mrs. Evans shook her head as she put a gentle hand on her daughter's back and started to steer her out of the kitchen. "No, Pumpkin, you need to get your beauty sleep. After all, it sounds like you have a busy day tomorrow."

Sharpay nodded as she disappeared through the doorway with her mother. "I do. You have no idea how much work this new number is going to be. I mean, it's not like there are any fish costumes to make or anything, but still--"

From back in the kitchen, Ryan could hear his mom's soothing voice as she walked Sharpay towards the stairs. "Yes, and you need a good night's rest if you're to get it all done, sweetie. G'night."

"G'night, Mommy," Sharpay said, and, after a pause for a goodnight kiss, Ryan heard his sister's heavy footsteps as she climbed the stairs to her bedroom.

A moment later, Mrs. Evans reappeared in the kitchen, a worried smile on her face. "So Sharpay is singing with Troy Bolton and not you?"

Ryan nodded sulkily. "Yeah, that's why I didn't have rehearsal this afternoon, 'cause she kicked me out of the show. I guess she'd rather sing with Mr. Perfect than with me," he added bitterly.

Mrs. Evans shook her head with concern. "I hope this isn't my fault for putting the idea in her head." When Ryan gave her a blank look, she explained, "The other night when Troy was at dinner with us. I suggested that he perform in the talent show because I know how important the show is to both of you, but I didn't mean for Sharpay to replace you."

"It's not your fault, Mom -- she was planning it long before you said anything. In fact, she probably had it planned from the first day of summer." Ryan tried to think back, wondering exactly when his sister had come up with the scheme. But then a slow smile started to spread across his face as he remembered the benefits of being replaced by Troy in the show. "But I guess it's not ALL bad, right? Since now I'm free to work with the Wildcats?" Ryan beamed at the thought of working with Chad.

And the others, of course!

Mrs. Evans clearly was still worried about the rift between the twins, but she couldn't help but respond to Ryan's sudden glee. "So how were the Wildcats tonight, Ducky?" she asked, taking his hand and leading him into the darkened family room. She switched on the small floor lamp, casting just enough light to illuminate the two of them as they sat down side by side on the leather couch. "And by Wildcats, of course I mean..."

"Chad," they both said in unison, sharing a laugh.

"He was great, Mom," Ryan said, the happiness in his eyes flashing in the dim light. "Everyone was. Gabriella was so nice, and her mother made these incredible brownies." Ryan closed his eyes at the memory of the delicious sweets -- and the memory of how exciting it had been just to brush Chad's hand. Of course, that didn't even compare to what came later with the puppy pile and the movie and the... "Oh, and I ended up dancing some swing with Taylor, Chad's girlfriend, and she was totally--"

"Wait," Mrs. Evans cut him off. "Back up. Chad's 'girlfriend'?"

Ryan smiled and shrugged. "Yeah, I know, Mom," he said, looking down uncomfortably at his hands in his lap.

Mrs. Evans took his hands in hers. "You didn't tell me Chad had a girlfriend."

"Because maybe it doesn't mean anything, Mom," Ryan said, knowing the excuse sounded lame but not having a better one. "Just because Chad has a girlfriend doesn't mean..." He trailed off, once again afraid to say it out loud.

"C'mere, sweetie," Mrs. Evans said, putting her arm around his shoulders and pulling him down so that he was lying on his side, his head in her lap. She gently removed his hat -- Chad's hat -- and then started running her fingers through his short blond hair. "I'm sorry about Chad having a girlfriend. But that doesn't mean that you two can't still be friends, right?"

Ryan grinned and rolled onto his back so he could look straight up at his mother. "Oh, we're ALREADY friends. He insisted on showing me his favorite movie, which apparently everyone else has seen a zillion times. And he totally made my foot fall asleep."

Mrs. Evans laughed. "How...romantic," she teased, brushing her son's hair back from his forehead as she smiled down at him.

Ryan blushed, realizing how silly it sounded, and then shrugged. "Well, at least it's SOMETHING, right?"

She nodded. "It's definitely something."

Ryan smiled up at his mother and then closed his eyes, thoroughly contented. And almost instantly, he was fast asleep.

------

CODA:

Ryan reached to smack the snooze alarm for the third time, not quite ready to get out of bed yet. While he was looking forward to spending some quality time with his dad throwing the baseball around, he was enjoying simply lying in bed and reflecting on last night's activities. In a way, it all seemed like a dream -- surely Chad Danforth, Wildcat jock, hadn't really lounged against him for hours! But Ryan could still feel the soft brush of Chad's hair against his cheek, and somehow he knew it wasn't a dream.

"So what do you think?"

If only THIS could be a dream!

Ryan felt someone sitting down on his bed, and he opened his eyes to find swatches of fabric being shoved in his face. "What?" he asked, blinking uncertainly.

"I was thinking of putting Emma, Jacky, and Lea in red, blue, and green," Sharpay explained, placing each swatch in succession down on the pillow next to his head, "but I want to wear turquoise," another swatch, "maybe with some pink," another swatch, "or black", and another. "But do you think that will clash?"

"Red, blue, and green fish?" Ryan asked groggily, momentarily forgetting that they were no longer doing the "Humuhumu" number.

"No, you idiot, we're not talking Dr. Seuss. I'm talking about my back-up singers. For my talent show performance with Troy?"

It all came flooding back to Ryan's sleepy mind, but it didn't clear up his confusion. After all, why did she need his advice if he wasn't in the show? "Why are you here, Shar?" he asked, pulling the covers over his head, wanting to get back to his happy thoughts about Chad.

"Isn't that a bit existential for this early in the morning?"

"Huh?" Ryan's sleepy mind couldn't remember what 'existential' meant, and he wasn't even sure he'd remember if he was awake.

But Sharpay impatiently pulled the covers off his head and pointed to the swatches again. "C'mon, Ryan -- I haven't got all day. So what do you think -- do they clash?"

Ryan slowly began to smile as a thought occurred to him. His sister had never been very good with colors, so he'd always been put in charge of the color coordination for all their performances. Clearly she was continuing to rely on him to make sure she looked good on-stage.

Ryan once again glanced at the turquoise fabric next to the blue and green, and the fuchsia next to the red, trying not to wince outwardly at the hideous clash of colors. "Nope, they don't clash at all," he lied, smiling.

"Oh good!" Sharpay said, standing up. "Thanks, Ry!"

As Sharpay left the room, Ryan rolled over onto his other side and closed his eyes. Thanks to his sister, he now had one more happy thought to add to his morning reverie.

**THE END**


End file.
